If you want to stay healthy whilst you are away on holiday this year, then remember water as one tip to help prevent any holiday health hiccups.
Unsure of water quality?
If you are holidaying in a place where you are unsure of the water quality, stick to bottled drinking water and avoid eating salads, or having ice cubes in drinks that may have been washed in, or made with the local tap water.
Dehydration
Dehydration can also cause diarrhoea, so make sure you stay well hydrated, particularly if you are spending time in the sun. Even more vital if you are enjoying some summer cocktails, as alcohol is very dehydrating.
Change in environment
For some people the change in environment and eating and drinking habits can have the opposite effect, and they end up with constipation. This is even more likely if you are somewhere warmer and don’t up your fluid intake to compensate for the heat. Increasing your water intake and including extra fibre should help to get things moving again. Fill up on extra vegetables and fruit and have a natural fibre supplement to hand should you need it. Flax seeds and probiotic bacteria make a great combination for helping to maintain regular bowel movements.
If after drinking more water you still have irregular bowel movements, then try this remedy out. I often recommend it to my clients who find it works!
Flax & Prune Mousse (to help regulate bowel movements)
1. Put 2 heaped dessertspoons of ground flaxseeds in a small bowl, pot or ramekin
2. Cover with half a cup pressed prune juice
3. Soak 12 hours (overnight), eat with spoon
4. Repeat once/twice a day until bowel movements restored.
Drinking water outside of holiday season
Water is really the only drink we should be drinking. Aim to avoid or reduce fizzy, sweet drinks, alcohol and caffeinated drinks that remove water from your body. Your body is 50-70 per cent water and it’s there to help with important bodily functions.
- Check colour of urine: urine should be veering on the clear side except for first thing in morning, if not drink more water
- Aim for 6 to 8 glasses and more when exercising. Drink water even if you don’t feel thirsty!
- Not having enough fluid in your body, leads to: headaches, fatigue, reduced concentration, constipation, sugar cravings
- If you are trying to lose weight aim to drink more water, it will help to reduce your appetite and will help balance blood sugar levels. However it is all about moderation! Don’t drink too much. Too much water can flush out important nutrients and unbalance electrolytes all important for health. So stick to the tips above like checking urine colour and drinking 6 to 8 glasses a day or more to replace water lost through sweating during exercise.
- Drinking water may also help to reduce or eliminate aching muscles and joints. In my own nutrition practice I came across a client who was very sporty but not drinking enough water and by simply increasing her water intake her muscle and joint pain disappeared!
Finally here is what a highly respected medical doctor based in New York had to say about water…
“If we allow that water provides the spark for energy creation, we must reconsider the potentially short and long term catastrophic effects of even borderline dehydration that compromises cellular energetics, cellular efficiency, and inevitably our own health.”
Dr Gonzalez, MD.
